Content Creation Strategies for Influencer Marketing: A Case of Kenyan Social Media Influencers on Instagram

Abstract

The study explored the content creation strategies employed by Kenyan Social Media Influencers (SMIs) on Instagram and their contribution to effectiveness of influencer marketing. Recent studies show that influencers are key in driving brand messaging through electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in the digital space, which necessitates the need for organizations including corporates to strategically engage them in brand communication. However, studies show that content published by SMIs affected their credibility and trust, yet corporates continue to invest more in influencer marketing despite these concerns. This has been evident in the Kenyan context as well. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of Kenyan SMIs on Instagram, to describe the attributes of content posted on Instagram by SMIs in Kenya and to explore the content creation strategies that SMIs in Kenya use on Instagram for influencer marketing. The theoretical framework guiding this study integrated the Parasocial Interaction Theory and Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). Due to the nature of the phenomenon under study, the thesis used a descriptive research design using the qualitative approach. The study collected primary data using Picodash (previously Gramfeed) to collect data from 12 SMIs IG accounts, who met the inclusion criteria. Using purposive sampling, the study sampled 320 posts from November to December 2024. Data analysis employed the qualitative content analysis of 153 posts from mega-influencers, 130 posts from macro-influencers, 22 from micro-influencers and 15 from nano-influencers. Key themes emerged on influencers characteristics namely: expression of personal values as a core identity, visual self-presentation as a branding strategy and trusted voices of knowledge and information, while prominent content attributes include visual aesthetics, multiple language use, conversational tone, and use of relevant hashtags. Key content strategies include product and brand placement, storytelling, and engagement tactics. Based on these findings, the study concluded that influencer characteristics and content attributes style of the influencer inform content strategies. As informed by the study’s findings, the research recommendations are as follows; corporates should carefully consider partnerships with influencers whose style, values and audience engagements align with their brand personality, grant influencers creative autonomy to frame product and service messages within their organic content, and corporate should view influencer marketing as a strategic long-term communication strategy that builds audience intimacy resulting to brand loyalty. Suggestions for further research include broadening the scope to include influencers on other platforms such as TikTok, X or YouTube to compare how content creation strategies differ across platforms.